Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord of hosts is with us;  the God of Jacob is our refuge.  Psalm 46:10-11 KJV

A couple of days ago I spoke of how stressed out I was with Christmas.  The shopping and the fighting the crowds.  Years ago my mom and I used to hit the sales in January and buy our Christmas presents.  When Christmas got here all we had to do was wrap them up.  I have vowed that I will do my best to do this in 2019.

When I worked I had very little “me time”.  My job was demanding and left very little spare time and the time that it left I usually spent catching up on things around my house.  Since I have retired, I have come to relish “me time”.

My sister is a jack of all trades.  She can draw up a set of house plans and then set about building the house.  She is a wonderful decorator and interior designer.  She sews.  She is an awesome cook.  She has even begun to garden and landscape and is doing very well with that.  Like my mom, she is an excellent sister, mom, and grandmother.  She is well organized.  She runs her own business and does well.  I was glad, but really surprised, to hear her say the other day that she took some “me time” and went shopping.

We all need some “me time”.   We need to take time to get away from it all and do something we enjoy.  Our scripture passage tells us to be still.  I read the Holman Christian Standard Bible’s version of this verse and it begins with “stop your fighting”.

As I went out to do the last of my Christmas shopping yesterday, I was eager to get done and get out of the traffic and the bustle that was going on in our small town.  You would think stores were giving stuff away.  And getting into the mall, a traffic nightmare.  Not many people being still.  There was a bit of road rage and I shied away from stores where there was probably a little fighting going on as well. I can’t help but think that God never intended for Jesus’ birthday to be this way.  I don’t think He intended it to be a cause of stress.  He sent Jesus to save us.  He sent Him to die on the cross for our sins so that we may have eternal life in heaven with Him.

So I want to ask you this question.  Are you taking any “me time”?  My next question is what do you do with your “me time”?  Are you using it to refresh and recharge?  You see we all need to do this.  Life makes us weary.  It can be very tiring at times.  The other part of this equation is that if you are not taking any time for yourself then you are probably not allowing any time for God.  You see I am a morning person.  I awake before everyone else in my house, except our beagles.  Once the beagles are fed and have gone outside and come back in, I take time with God.  I pray and do my devotional, this is the time of day when my mind can really focus on what I have to be thankful for and praise God.  It is also the time when I can remember requests that I bring to Him and intercede for others.  It is the time that I write my blog.  Now I know some of you reading this are night owls and that’s ok.  You probably would do better having your time with God after everyone else has gone to bed.

I just like to start my day that way.  I end my day in Bible reading and prayer, but by then I am usually so tired and worn out that I can’t give it my all.  So today I encourage you to stop and be still.  Give a little time to God.  Pray for those in your life that need God’s help.  Pray for yourself as you go through your day that others may see Christ in you even in the midst of chaos.

Remember that Jesus truly is the reason for the season and we should make time to be still and worship and praise Him.  This also helps with our stress level.  So I strongly encourage you to take some “me time” and also remember during that time to exalt the Lord.  Praise Him and ask Him to strengthen you as you charge into the crowds and the chaos.

Have a great day!